Whenuapai homicide: Crumpet tossed at friend, room smashed up in night of fights

Armed police outside the Trig Rd property where Coubin Tamatoa was killed last year. Photo / Dean Purcell

In a wild night of fights and meltdowns ending in a fatal stabbing, a man left his best friend on the brink of tears after throwing a crumpet at him.

The late Coubin Tamatoa's friends outlined his final hours to jurors at the High Court in Auckland today.

Isaac Allen Harnwell has pleaded not guilty to murdering Tamatoa, who died at a sprawling Whenuapai property in August last year.

The Crown says Harnwell hated Tamatoa with a passion and hid in a room for hours, then plunged a knife into his chest and eye before fleeing.

The defence says Tamatoa was enraged and jealous during a drug-addled evening of mayhem, and Harnwell was defending himself or Tamatoa's ex-girlfriend.

The court today heard from Asotasi Tiatia, who said he was Tamatoa's best friend.

Jurors heard Tamatoa sent Tiatia a message at 11.17pm on August 4, asking for help.

"He said: Uso [brother], I need you on standby, I need you in the area."

Tiatia said he took this to mean Tamatoa was worried about something.

He said he asked what Tamatoa meant, but got no reply, and went to the Trig Rd property anyway.

"If he ran into any trouble, I was right there."

Defence counsel Andrew Speed asked if "standby" referred to a standover, but Tiatia replied: "I don't know what you're talking about".

A few days before the stabbing, Tamatoa stole the meth precursor ephedrine from his ex-girlfriend Ranee Rapihana, and Harnwell said he was shot at.

"Aren't you curious about what he wanted you to do, and why?" Speed asked Tiatia today. "Are you a mechanic, an electrician?"

Tiatia, nicknamed "Gusa", said he was there to help with whatever was needed, such as "doing the dishes".

He said multiple arguments erupted that night and he stopped one fight involving Tamataoa and another man, but Tamatoa flared up again and harassed Rapihana.

Tiatia said that disturbed him, and he told Tamatoa to treat Rapihana better, but his friend responded unpleasantly.

"He told me to f*** up."

He said Tamatoa threw a crumpet at him, which was upsetting, and made him leave.

BEDROOM TRASHED

Monique Darby was also at the Trig Rd property that night, and said Tiatia left "because Coubin was being a bit of an egg".

She said Tamatoa had a meltdown with Rapihana.

"Gusa told him that he had to stop causing scenes and breaking things. Coubin threw a crumpet and said 'I don't get involved with you and your girlfriend'."

She added: "Gusa was tearing up and said he couldn't do this anymore."

Tamatoa got into his car and performed skids or donuts. "It was just him letting us know he was leaving," Darby said.

But the absence was brief. And his argument with Rapihana resumed.

"He came flying in. He was angry," Darby said. "It was a bit emotional. Both of them were just really upset."

A bedroom was wrecked and then Darby saw Tamatoa leave.

"You could just see he was trying to hold tears back."

Darby said she heard thumping and Tamatoa returned from another bedroom to a hallway about 20-30 seconds later.

"He was holding his eye and saying 'Aah, what the f***?'"

At the High Court in Auckland, Isaac Allen Harnwell has pleaded not guilty to murder. Photo / File

Rapihana told jurors Harnwell gave Tamatoa money and meth on Tamatoa's birthday, July 25.

"There was no bad anything between them but I knew that Coubin didn't like him really."

Jurors heard the ephedrine theft provoked disquiet among gang members and other background figures.

"I was only in that situation because of him, and it's all coming to a head," Rapihana said.

Jurors heard Tamatoa pressed a handgun into her neck and threatened to kill her a few hours before he was stabbed.

The pair kept arguing but also took drugs together, including GBL.

"His doses kicked in. He gets hot, he takes his clothes off and gets a bit loud. He'll stomp his feet," she said when asked to describe the drug's effect.

She said Tamatoa had a 4ml dose of GBL, measured with a syringe.

Rapihana said her relationship with Tamatoa was toxic and volatile.

She said her ex-boyfriend would accuse her of having affairs with many people but he would never confront the accused person.

The trial before Justice Mathew Downs and the jury continues.